The present invention relates to an information-processing apparatus, an information-processing method and a program. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information-processing apparatus capable of outputting a second content suitable for a situation faced by the user in course of an operation to output a first content or a situation existing before or after the operation and relates to an information-processing method adopted by the apparatus as well as a program implementing the method.
In recent years, the user is allowed to operate an information-processing apparatus in order to enjoy music or pictures output by the apparatus as BGM (Background Music) or BGV (Background Visual) respectively while the user is utilizing a predetermined content. To put it concretely, the user is allowed to enjoy the BGM or the BGV while, for example, the user is operating the information-processing apparatus to write a text of a mail and send the email to other users or receive a mail from another user and browse the text of the mail. Examples of the information-processing apparatus discussed above include Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-345727; and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-150507.
However, the conventional information-processing apparatus has a problem that, in order to enjoy the BGM or the BGV by using the conventional apparatus, the user itself generally needs to carry out complicated operations on the apparatus. For example, the user generally needs to operate the information-processing apparatus, specify a desired piece of music and/or a desired picture by specifying their titles and enter a command to start an operation to reproduce the specified music and/or picture.
It is to be noted that, in the case of an operation to write a text of a mail and send the mail to other users, by utilizing the technology disclosed in patent document 1, the user can send the mail with an affection added to the mail. In addition, by utilizing the technology disclosed in patent document 2, a sound for a emoticon included in a mail text can be added to the mail and sent along with the mail.
To a user utilizing an information-processing apparatus receiving such a mail text, however, a sound and/or affection attached to the mail is a sound and/or affection selected by the sender to the bitter end. That is to say, a sound and/or affection attached to the mail is no more than a sound and/or affection selected by the user utilizing an information-processing apparatus transmitting the mail and is not a sound and/or affection selected by the user utilizing an information-processing apparatus receiving the mail. Thus, the conventional information-processing apparatus has a problem that, when a sound attached to the mail is reproduced in another information-processing apparatus, the reproduced sound is not necessarily a sound satisfying the user of the other information-processing apparatus. In other words, it is difficult to output a sound suitable for the situation existing at a time the user browses the mail. In addition, the conventional information-processing apparatus has another problem that it is difficult to express an affection attached to a mail text in terms of music and pictures suitable for the situation on the mail-receiver side.
The example described above raises a problem of using music and/or pictures as a second content while using a first content such as a mail text. It is to be noted, however, that a similar problem is raised with other contents used as the first and second contents.